Gardener of Leaves
by Silent Magi
Summary: A gardener reflects on the similarities between his hobby and his job. Drabble.
1. Chapter 1

Just a one-shot, might expand it more later. Let me know what you think please. This is my first Naruto fic.

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The Hokage sighed as he knelt next to the little seedling that was shooting up through the ground

The Hokage sighed as he knelt next to the little seedling that was shooting up through the ground. He had to smile as he realized just how much being a Hokage was like being a gardener. Each had to have patience to see the fruits of their labor, each had to know just what little touches would help bring out the best of each of their charges, each had to be protected from outside influences that would harm or kill them, yet at the same time they needed the ones that would help, and each had to pull out the weeds that threatened them.

Smiling the Hokage looked over his small garden at the back of his estate, he had to make time everyday to be sure he could tend to his plants, but it was worth it. With a sigh he sprinkled some water on the seedling, practically seeing it straighten up with each drop. It wouldn't be long now, soon his assistant would pop up on the south wall, and remind him of his duties that never seemed to end.

Sure enough not even five minutes later, Sakura appeared on the wall with a silent puff of smoke. "Time's up Rokudaime-sama…"

Sighing the Hokage stood up dusting off his clothes and hands. He had to now tend to his other garden, the garden of Konahagure "Hai Sakura-chan… and you know that you can call me Naruto, don't you?"


	2. Chapter 2

Initially I had planned on this to be a one-shot, but a friend of mine convinced me to give it a little more. And since I didn't get any reviews for it, I suppose there's nothing more to say then start the story...

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Naruto smiled as he knelt next to his favorite plant. It was the largest and oldest plant he had in his little garden. The third Hokage himself had given him the seed that it had grown from. It was a simple tomato plant, but it was the memories attached to it that made it the most valuable of all his plants.

Pulling out his watering can he gently poured the water at the base of the plant, as he watched the water his mind drifted back to what the old man had once told him.

-Flashback-

_"Naruto, I have something special for your birthday. But you will have to work on it to make it grow," Sarutobi said as he held out a tiny box, which the seven year old Naruto tore open to look inside curiously, only to find a tiny seed packet. "This will help you in your dream to be a Hokage."_

_"But Jii-san, it's just a bunch of seeds, how will this help me be a great ninja?" Naruto scoffed as he set aside the box and went back to his birthday shrimp ramen._

_Pulling out a pot of soil and a tiny watering can Sarutobi smiled wisely at the child. "It may not help you be a great ninja... but it will help you be a great Hokage. It will teach you patience and how to care for another. In fact, I would bet that if you kept the plant these seeds turn into long enough, you will become the youngest Hokage ever."_

_Naruto, snatched up the seed packet and tried to read the planting instructions, blushing after a few before handing it over to Sarutobi. "Can you give me a little help Jii-san?"_

_Sarutobi nodded as he helped the child plant the flowers and gave him instructions in how to make the plant grow._

-end flashback-

Wiping a sad tear from his eye, Naruto dusted himself off and moved onto the next plant, the child of his first. The third had been right, as he usually was in the end. Gods above how he missed the old man.

"Naruto-sama," Hinata's voice called from the wall, causing his head to turn. "I need to speak with you about the academy students that will be graduating this year..."

Sighing, Naruto stood up before turning back to his favorite plant. "See you tomorrow Jii-san... I miss you," the normally loud ninja whispered respectfully before rushing on to do his job. If one were to look at one of the tomatoes, they would almost swear the third was smiling back in the reflection for a moment, before fading to the normal red shine.


	3. Chapter 3

Naruto sighed as he tended to a special little plant, that was tucked safely away right by his house. It would bloom once the sun set, and show its delicate white petals to the world. This would be the first night he could witness its blooming in a long time. The last time... had been with him...

-flashback-

It was while they were on the road during the three year training trip that he had seen it first. They were camping out between two towns, and Naruto had needed to use the bushes in the middle of the night. At first he had thought about the last time he'd done so, but the mysterious waterfall dancer wasn't anywhere to be seen that night, instead it was Jiraiya sitting at the edge of a field smoking his pipe.

Naruto was going to go over and talk with him, but his sensei had motioned him to instead sit and watch the field with him. Not three minutes later, the clouds had parted and let the full moon spill forth from the heavens, and dance over the field before them. As the moon shone down, stars seemed to twinkle back from the dark field, echoing back the light the moon gave them. As he looked out over the field he felt that he was suddenly drifting miles over the earth, surrounded by the stars as far as the eyes could see.

Jiraiya smiled sadly and whispered. "This brat... this is beauty that no words could capture..."

Naruto swallowed the shout he was going to barrage Jiraiya with, and instead let the beauty wash over him, as an unfamiliar wetness caressed his cheeks. It wasn't sadness that caused the tears, but rather joy. Joy and love.

-end of flashback-

Sitting back against his southern wall, to enjoy the view as best he was able, he raised a cup of warm sake to the heavens. "This one's for you Ero-sennin..." Naruto whispered quietly, before downing the fiery liquid that warmed him to his toes.

Just as the clouds parted, and the moon came out fully, the first of the blossoms opened up, shining out their light for all the world to see. Pouring out two more saucers, he smiled as he heard a poof of an appearing person on the wall behind him. "Hey Kakashi-sensei, join me for a drink?"

"I wish I could Hokage-sama..." Kakashi answered respectfully before dropping down next to Naruto his Sharingan eye focused on the flowers against the Hokage's house. "This is not a sight to miss... but Iruka ordered me home as soon as possible..."

Naruto smiled and held out his hand, accepting the mission report from his former teacher. "Stop by some other time then..." And with barely a nod, Kakashi was gone, back to the one he loved. Naruto downed another saucer of sake and sighed. "Alone again..."


	4. Chapter 4

Naruto smiled as he walked along, he had just left his kage bunshin to finish up the paperwork, and was now heading towards his garden. His smile only faltered slightly as he passed the academy, and found one student swinging back and forth on a swing that had been built to replace the one destroyed during the Pein invasion. He knew the child sitting there swinging back and forth, it was Kurenai's kid Haku. But instead of springing forth memories of the androgynous ninja from his doomed Wave mission, this time Haku brought forth an image of another small child rocking himself back and forth on the swing that one had replaced.

He decided it was time to change that. Walking over, he knelt next to the swinging child, before he finally addressed her. "Hello Haku-chan... how are you doing?"

Watching the startled girl's head whip around, and her eyes bug never got old in his opinion. And then she smiled warmly and waved. "Hello Hokage-sama... I'm... I'm alright..."

"Now now Haku-chan, you've known me all your life, you can call me The Great and Powerful Naruto Uzumaki Super Hokage for Life!" Naruto proclaimed while striking a dynamic pose he'd seen in a manga some years ago. It seemed to work, since the girl was giggling now. "That's better... now tell me, what's wrong?"

The girl's giggles slowed to a stop, leaving her looking only slightly sad this time. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she looked up at the academy quietly. "Mommy's in there, for a meeting about us kids starting school tomorrow... but the other kids just keep calling me Sharingan freak..."

"Cause of the red eyes?" Naruto asked, getting a nod from the girl. Pushing himself up, he held out a hand. "Come with me, I want to show you something..."

The girl walked with Naruto quietly, holding his hand as he led her to the back gate to his house, and into the garden proper. "Here we are..." Naruto stated while he knelt down and cupped a tiny flower that seemed to be a weed in the cluster of other larger, similar flowers. "This is a very special flower do you know why?"

"Because it's different?" Haku guessed while looking at the flower.

Naruto chuckled softly as he checked the dirt for moisture. "Good guess Haku, but without this one little flower the others would all die out... do you want to know why?"

"Why?" Haku asked, amazed that such a little, unnoticeable flower could be the hero to all those big and beautiful flowers.

"It's because this one... draws in the bees that pollinate all the other flowers," Naruto explained while pulling his watering can over and sprinkling a little water over the ground. "It has the strongest smell of the entire group, and that brings in the bees, but it also drives off the harmful insects that would eat the other flowers. Shino Aburame showed me this flower when I was worrying about bugs eating up my garden, and I didn't want to use pesticides..."

"Oh... wow... so this little plant is that strong?" the amazed little girl asked while touching the tender petals gently. "But... I don't... oh, am I like this little plant? Different, but important?"

"That's right little Haku!" the Hokage beamed at the little girl proudly. "So you see, the others don't see you for the strength you possess, but someday I imagine that they will never be able to imagine their world without you..."

"Thank you Uzumaki-sama!" Haku yelled happily while hugging the Hokage tightly around the shoulders, silently she was grateful he was still kneeling so she could actually hug him like that. "I'll show them my strength just like that little flower!"

"That's the spirit little one! Now what say we get you back to your mother?"

Naruto walked the little girl back to the academy, picking up some snacks on the way to hopefully placate Kurenai. It seemed to have worked, as he didn't have to worry about her hunting him down while he slept that night. However, the next day was very scary.

He was sitting in the front of the academy, listening to the new academy students come forward and introduce themselves to the rest of the class. The last one was Haku Yuhi.

She came up to the front of the class, full of the poise and dignity that her mother had, getting a proud smile from where she was standing against the side wall. When she bowed to Naruto, he began to worry, not that he showed it at all, as her smile changed to one he swore he'd seen somewhere before.

When she spoke, any doubt he had was bombarded into dusts as he realized it was one of his own grins haunting him from the past. "I am Haku Yuhi, and I'm going to be the strongest one of all! I'm going to be the next Hokage!"

He could just tell from the glare that Kurenai was shooting him, that she had his smile and determined eyes while flashing a victory sign to the entire crowd. On either side of him, he heard a snort of laughter knowing that Iruka and Hinata both had figured out what was going on. Maybe he should see about giving Kurenai a raise... she had been doing great as the academy's kunoichi teacher for the past year... in fact he might find room in the budget to give the entire academy a raise.

He only hoped that it'd be enough to save his hide from Kurenai's wrath.


End file.
